Every Body Needs A Hug Sometimes SEQUEL
by bluecougar712
Summary: Yeah, the sequel. Nothing much else I can say.
1. Chapter 1

**I'm ba-ack! Just a reminder, this is set after A Christmas Carol, but before CoE, because I don't want to deal with the Torchwood angst. Wait till you see the TARDIS's origin…**

The Doctor was the first to break the hug. The pulled the TARDIS back, held her face in his hands and looked over her cautiously. "What did he do to you?" He said softly.

"It was a set up." She whispered "The Master- he must- I just don't know. To escape the Time War, he must have opened the timelock, and to do that he must have…" She trailed off. "The Master- he wanted me to join him! He wanted me to help him, to be his TARDIS."

"Does he not realize how cliché that is?" Mickey said jokingly, trying to lighten the mood.

Martha came back up into the attic to see the re-appeared Gallifreyans, and nearly dropped the tray of tea she was holding. Nearly. "You're back! Well, I guess it's kind of unnecessary that I called-"

A man clad in a black World War II-era coat walked appeared in a blaze of light across the attic, and saluted casually. Captain Jack. "'Sup, Doc. Hear you've got my vortex manipulator from the future."

"What's going on?" The Doctor spun around, taking in the crowd of former companions surrounding him. "How did you-"

The TARDIS laughed lightly. "Called Jack in search of you-" She looked at the captain in question "How'd you get that thing working again, anyways?" she continued. "Found Mickey on a bus, he took me to Martha, we all came here, Luke Clyde and Rani were here came from across the street when they heard."

Jack laughed. "I didn't get it working again, YOU did. I recorded our phone conversation, analyzed your voice code, and BAM! Working time machine. So I decided to come here, meet you, freak the Doctor out with my fixed-pointiness, and kick some ass. It's been really quiet over in Cardiff."

"So." Mickey stepped forward. "Who're we fighting this time?"

"Oh-no-no. There's no 'We' in this. He's my reponcibiliy."

Martha chimed in "Oh no you don't mister, I didn't come all this way for nothing!"

"Doc, the last time you said that, the Master took over. Wait, you don't mean-"

"Yes. Second time this year."

The TARDIS sighed in exhasbiration. "I could kill him myself, chop him to little pieces, get rid of every little bit of his DNA, and I STILL would bet on him coming back sometime next year!"

"Wait, second time this year? The Master's come back since the year that never was? Is this a recurring theme for him. Because, frankly, I may not enjoy immortality but it is MY party trick, not his!"

"Yes, he came back, brought the Timelords with him, tried to destroy the earth, bad day, lots of bad stuff happened. Eventually I had to send him and the Timelords back into hell, and then I died. It was really not my day."

Jack laughed. "I know the feeling."

Soon the teenagers had left, and Sarah Jane and the TARDIS went downstairs leaving Jack and the Doctor alone.

"So Doc, how many times HAVE you died since I saw you last?"

"Just once."

"Every time you die you keep getting younger. Care to share your secret?"

"It's not intentional, trust me."

They sat awkwardly. "So, you're traveling alone now?"

"Yeah. Rose's in the parallel world with two-point-oh, and Donna- yeah."

"You erased her memories. I assumed you'd have to."

"Yeah. I'm not traveling alone, though. Amy and Rory Pond, nice couple. Amy's fantastic- another feisty red head, and Rory- well, he seems to have really bad luck. I mean, he's died twice already."

Jack suddenly gained interest. "Is he like me?"

"No- it's complicated."

-Meanwhile-

"So, TARDIS."

"Yeah, Sarah?"

"I don't mean to be rude, but I listened when the third Doctor rambled on in unit. And, I hate to say it, but TARDIS's can't BECOME anything living. Inanimate objects, sure, but not a Timelady."

"Ha, knew I couldn't get past you."

"Who are you? What are you?"

"If you didn't trust me, you would've said something by now." The TARDIS saw Sarah Jane's arm fade slightly, a trick of the light.

"Like I could stop you. But if you hurt him,-"

The TARDIS cut her off. "I'm on your side, don't worry. I'm also the TARDIS, trust me. But I'm just slightly… unorthodox."

"Unorthodox how exac-"

Sarah Jane was cut off as her and the TARDIS were erased from their former location.

-Meanwhile-

Rose Tyler was tucking in her little brother when she got the call.

John Smith said that travel between universes was possible, for no apparent reason. Of course, she was the first to take the makeshift teleport to the Doctor's universe. She didn't even realize the teleport that whisked her away from Cardiff, to an unknown destination.

**Sorry this was all anticlimactic dialogue, it'll get interesting soon. On request, Rose has to come back. But don't worry, the TARDIS'll teach her for being a manipulative, fake-blond little be-otch. And no, there actually is a realistic reason for her return, that ties in to the Master's return. And yes, I'll find a way to kill Rose off in the end. And yes, the TARDIS isn't a TARDIS, but is a TARDIS, but technically isn't still (spoiler), so it's all very paradoxical that she's a Timelady again, I'm surprised there isn't a supernova about the size of Belgium. **


	2. Chapter 2

**www. youtube .com /watch?v=8XPCSynZpRY&feature=related (minus the mega spaces) is, quite possibly, the best vid ever. It's my favorite song and my Doctor! I will say, Muse's "Starlight" is a great song for the Doctor and the TARDIS. If anybody out there makes a fanvid featuring clips of Mia Kirshner taken from The L Word as the human TARDI, I will… I don't know, but I'll do something good, like write a gazillion oneshots inspired by you, or let you decide on the ending for this fic, or basically anything you want! (I actually have two ideas for the ending, one angsty one I'll probably use, and one happier one I probably won't) I've been doing a lot of weekday-updating lately, and I thought y'all deserved more than earlier's update. Besides, twice in a day, who da man? A phrase I will never use again. Anywho, I'm going to shut up now.**

The TARDIS was the first to regain consciousness in the deep and the dark and the cold. Her Gallifreyan senses showed her what a human's could not, as she scanned her nearer surroundings, the rest concealed by the pitch darkness. She saw two other women out cold on the ground. One was blond, and held a small teleportation device. _Guess I'll never get rid of her._ The other was Sarah Jane Smith. The TARDIS started to stand, but was stopped by the shooting pain in her side. _Wow, the Master, in all his Timelord knowledge, won't even heal me completely?_

The Gallifreyan inspected her wounds, mostly using her slender, sensitive fingers instead of her sight. _Well, could be worse. At least he bothered with stitches. I mean, seriously, if you're going to fake-kill someone, you might as well heal them thoroughly!_ Further inspection revealed that she had ripped some of the stitches, and the TARDIS's bandages were in desperate need of replacing.

The blond human sat up and rubbed her eyes. "'Lo? Doctor? Anybody there?"

The TARDIS winced as she stood up, and ignored the searing pain that threatened to bring her to her knees as she dug through her pockets. She could take pain.

"Hello? Who's there? You hurt? Am I just blind and stupid, or is it pitch dark in here?"

The TARDIS chuckled wryly, as she pulled out a pack of matches. "Hello Rose. The Doctor's not here at the moment, and probably won't be for a while, so you'll just have to work with me. It's definitely to dark for a human to see in here, but I'm not so sure about your sight or intelligence. And yes, I'm hurt, but I don't expect you to care."

The human got to her feet, ignoring the insult. "You know the Doctor?"

"Yes, I travel with him."

"You do realize you're not the first, yeah? Besides, he likes me best."

"Actually, I _am_ the first, don't act like you know me. And don't make any assumptions about his opinions before you've been jammed inside his mind for a few centuries." The TARDIS struck the match, flooding the room with light. "That's better."

"Well, he never mentioned you. In fact, I don't think he even remembers you!" Rose assumed the cockiness she had used against Sarah Jane years ago.

"Oh, he mentioned me alright. Thanks, though, for reminding me how much I hate you!" She added with false cheerfulness.

"Don't act like you know me, you little-" Rose was cut off in shock as the TARDIS removed her dark sunglasses, revealing her true self.

"Nice party trick." Rose tried to play it cool, but the TARDIS noticed the considerable distance between them. "Are you really the- I mean, this-"

"Yes, I am the TARDIS." The TARDIS coolly examined the room around them as she spoke. It was pure white, with no doors, windows, or even seems in the metallic walls.

"But- you can't be the TARDIS! You don't hate me, you're the Doctor's TARDIS, you have to like me! Besides, why would you help me save him as the Bad Wolf if you hated me?"

"A. I am the TARDIS, always will be, so don't question me. B. Just because I'm the Doctor's TARDIS does not make me his sidekick, his slave, and I am most definitely NOBODY's companion. C. I don't share the Doctor's emotions, thank the heavens. D. I don't have to like anybody, I'm independent enough to become humanoid, right? E. I gave you power strictly so you could eradicate the daleks, and save the Doctor. But, F. You killed him."

"So I was supposed to just die? You talk about freedom of choice, yet you expect me to just give myself up to save him because YOU say so?"

The TARDIS spun around and grabbed Rose's shirt, pinning her up against the wall of the white box. "Yes, you were supposed to die. You should have died to save him! He does everything for you little apes, yet you continue to manipulate and use him, then run off with his clone in a parallel world! I mean, did you ever think about what that was _like_ for him? He sent you off with a perfect copy of himself, someone he could never out do, and all he could to was hope you'd be happy! And you don't help him much, coming back here every chance you get."

"I-" Rose looked at the TARDIS with extreme interest and confusion.

"Don't you even start! Don't screw with me, honey, I saw straight through you from the beginning! All you do is manipulate MY Doctor, and treat your own family horribly! You have no sense of female strength or independence, and you expect Jack and the Doctor to do everything for you! All you do is scar, but you never heal! You break my Doctor's hearts repeatedly, and never look back! You tear apart universes just to save your OWN family!"

She pushed Rose harder against the wall and pulled her fist back. Rose said simply. "Oh I get it. You, my friend, are jealous. You see the Doctor get all lovesick over me, while you have the figure of a box, PUN INTENDED!"

The TARDIS lowered her fist, dumbfounded by how thick the blond was, how no amount of violence could pound the truth into her skull. "You actually believe that don't you? You live a lie so long- that's all you are, a lie…"

The TARDIS trailed off as a panel behind them came inwards and drifted down, and three daleks entered.

**That was fun to write. I know, it was pointless dialogue. This should heat up soon. Rose lovers, read this: http: / aceofgallifrey. livejournal. com/ 1416. html #cutid1 (minus the spaces) and reach inlightenment. It didn't convert ME to Rose-hatred, but it did many others. It should at least give you some perspective on our reasons for not liking her. I understand if you like her, but please don't think negatively of me (and the TARDIS) for hating her. We have perfectly rational reasons for hating her, and you have yours for liking her.**

**btw, All credit for the epic pwnage rant goes to Ace of Gallifrey. Don't you DARE disrespect it, even if you disagree.  
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	3. Chapter 3

**J'ai bloc de auteur. Je hais bloc d'auteur. J'aime beaucoupe écriture. *sigh* Saying it in French doesn't make it false.**

After scouring the house and surrounding area for the two missing women, the immortal and the timelord regrouped in the attic.

"Right, they have most DEFINITLY been captured-"

The Doctor was cut off by Jack, "Or maybe they ran away together…" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

The Doctor rolled his eyes, "-The question is by who. The Master is smarter than to capture her again, I thought he was smarter than that. Sarah and the TARDIS are far too smart to get captured by anyone insignificant, who do you think could have captured them?"

"I have a feeling you're about to tell me." Jack said flatly.

"No, Jack, that wasn't a rhetorical question."

"Oh, you're actually giving me a chance to say something! I like this regeneration… Back to the point, I don't know." Jack shrugged nonchalantly. "I thought that was your area of expertise, timelord and all."

The Doctor ran his fingers through his hair, a remnant of his predecessor, as he paced up and down the attic floor. "I don't know!" he stopped at the large window on one side, a look of realization coming across his face, "I should never have trusted her."

"Trusted who?"

The Doctor knocked some papers off of a desk, "Never trust a Gallifreyan, Jack! They cannot be trusted! Well, unless they're me in which case definitely trust them!"

"Doctor what are you talking about?" Jack caught the Doctor by the shoulders.

"That wasn't the TARDIS."

"What?"

"I knew when I saw her, but I figured I could trust her and get answers later! I never thought… Jack, a TARDIS can't turn into a Timelady. A TARDIS could take the exterior form of any inanimate object, but never physically change."

"But Doctor, she can teleport and timetravel, you saw her! Besides, her voice holds a chronological pattern! That never happens, not even with you."

"You're right, but it's still impossible. She's something different, something new. And I let her take Sarah Jane."

**Short, I know. DAMN BLOD D'AUTEUR! *Sigh* French remarks on writer's block aside, this was mainly filler. And, I know it's no excuse, but I'm used to writing short stuff. WHAT HAS TARDIS POV'S DONE TO ME! XP.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I am royally pissed because I missed Doctor Who, but I am, somehow or another, GOING to watch and post a TARDIS POV BEFORE MIDNIGHT tonight. Sheer force of will, I will watch it using osmosis. *rubs face on TV***

**Haven't update a lot lately, sorry. Just fyi, I did post a TARDIS POV on Easter, couldn't Saturday due to reasons I ranted about in that author's note. **

The TARDIS dropped Rose's jacket and fell to her knees. She looked up at the daleks with hate, clutching her side.

"YOU ARE INJURED."

"And you're a dalek. Now that we've pointed out the obvious, what is it you want from us?"

"DALEKS DO NOT ANSWER HUMAN QUESTIONS."

"Oh, I'm no-"

Rose cut her off. "We're friends of the Doctor's. No, you seeing the cause-to-effect here? Because, if you hurt us, the Doctor _will_ find you."

"YOU ARE FRIENDS OF THE DOCTOR."

"Yup."

"Obviously."

"Why else would you capture us?"

"YOU ARE FRIENDS OF THE DOCTOR. YOU WILL BE SCANNED AND THEN RANDSOMED."

"Right, right, I'll just- help her up-" Rose bent down and whispered to the TARDIS, "Act like a human. We'll break out later."

The TARDIS nodded discretely. The here women stood up to look the daleks in the eye.

"HUMANS WILL NOW BE SCANNED." The two flanking daleks moved forwards to eye the TARDIS and Sarah Jane, while the center continued to stare at Rose.

"HUMAN, Sarah Jane Smith."

"HUMAN, Rose Marion Tyler."

"UNIDENTIFIED!'

The other two daleks spun right to face the TARDIS.

"WHAT ARE YOU?"

"I'm something new."

"EXPLAIN!"

"I'm different, different than anything you've ever seen, or any dalek anywhere has ever seen."

"EXPLAIN. EXPLAIN!"

Rose spun to face the TARDIS, terrified of betrayal. "But- she's the TARDIS! She's got to be, just look at her eyes!"

"I'm not a TARDIS. Well, I am, in all ways that count, but-" she turned to Rose. "Did you honestly believe a TARDIS could go Timelady? Are you really that thick- I mean, Sarah Jane, SHE noticed, but-"

"EXPLAIN!"

"Alright, alright, I'm getting to the point. I'm a TARDIS now, but I wasn't always, it's- trust me, it's complicated. I didn't believe it myself when they first told me- freaked out, flew all the way back… Still, lucky I found the Doctor."

"YOU ARE NOT A DALEK. YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED."

"Wait, wait, there are six, extremely important reasons you shouldn't do that."

There was silence. "Oh, look at that, I go all cryptic, and daleks listen to me, anyways! To the point! I'm still a friend of the Doctor's. A companion. So, hey, I can still be ransomed. Two, as Rose here pointed out, mess with us, you get the oncoming storm. And I don't THINK you want that… And, yeah, I lied, there are only two reasons. Still, it's better than none…"

"YOU WILL BE RANSOMED."

"Well, that's a start!" Sarah Jane looked around, as if looking for another hidden exit.

"THE OTHER TWO WILL BE EXTERMINATED."

The TARDIS flung herself to her right, slamming Rose and Sarah Jane to the ground. She quickly positioned herself in front of them. It had only taken a millisecond. "Look, I have been shot at TWICE today, if it's even day, I've been pushed to my limit, literally FORCED into my old form, and I am NOT going to stand here and let you exterminate my friends!"

"EXTERMINATE."

The TARDIS dodged rapidly, pushing the other two women behind her as she backed into a wall. "Right, I'm your ransom, your bargaining piece, the key to your plan. And you'll have to shoot through me to reach them. I suggest you give up now!" she threatened weakly.

"YOU ARE A BARGAINING PIECE. YOU CAN BE REPLACED."

Two humans and a timelady backed against the wall.

"Now, now, that's no way to treat our _guests_, is it?" _I never thought I'd be glad to see HIM,_ the TARDIS thought.

"WE DO NOT TAKE ORDERS FROM YOU."

"Why not? After all, we have the same goal, the survival of our species."

-meanwhile-

"So, you have no idea who this woman is, and you just went along with her plans?"

"Jack! I didn't know, I didn't think, I never thought she'd betray us like this!" The Doctor poured over everything she'd touched, like he could capture the memory like a photo.

"What reason'd you have to trust her? I mean WHAT were you thinking, following her around like that?"

"Well, what else would I do? I had to trust her, she could contact all of you, time travel, teleport, reach completely inhuman speeds, even the MASTER recognized her as the TARDIS, she took a bullet for me, for Rassilon's sake, and you could get that thing running just using her voice! She gave me every reason to trust her!"

"Wait, she took a bullet? And she's alive? How'd that work out?"

"Didn't ask."

"Alright, so now we act under the assumption she's immortal! That's just great, a newly-realized immortal woman with freakish powers has kidnapped Sarah Jane Smith. Just what we need!"

"If we could just find her, then-"

"Doctor, you don't understand what she's going through, nobody would! Hell, I'm the only one who knows what she's feeling and I can't even talk to her!"

The Doctor stopped in front of Jack. "What, then? What is it that makes her SO much more dangerous if she's immortal? Because, frankly, I'm more worried about the whole time travel thing!"

"Doctor. Assuming she's just come back to life for the first time, she's probably terrified. Her mind's scattered, she's probably got some mild amnesia, not to mention bullets are damn painful... She's unstable. Mentally, physical, no idea what's she'll do next."

"Jack."

"Huh?"

"I get it. Fast, powerfull, time-traveling, unstable woman with a timelady's intelligence running around with Sarah Jane. The thing is, why can I still fell her?"

"What?"

"I can still feel her. In the back of my mind."

"What? What's she thinking, right now? We can find her!"

"No, no distinct words, but she's terrified. That much's obvious. She's terrified, and pretty angry on top of that."

The Doctor cut off Jack's "I told you so."

"But I've got a location! Galactic coordinates, date and time, now I just have to figure out a way to get there…" he ran out of the attic.

Jack leaned up against the wall, and called out in a sing-song voice, "Doc-tor!"

The Doctor ran back up. "What is it now?"

Jack held up his vortex manipulator. "Forgetting something?"

**Poor Jack. Even when he thinks he's right, he's completely off. And, just to clarify, the TARDIS is NOT immortal. Jack just heard she survived a bullet, couldn't process that, and formulated the scenario that made the most sense to him.**

**Oh, anybody know some good osmosis techniques? Headdesking the television isn't really working…**

**I need to update RC and AIMITT now...  
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	5. Chapter 5

**I just found out that YouTube made a playlist of my favorite band, Chameleon Circuit (Check 'em out. I dare you.) So I started listening to it, then I was happy and in a whovian mood, so I started to write. Because I can. I've gotten sick of withholding information, so this one has some actual plot. :)**

The TARDIS glared at the one man she actually _hadn't_ expected to come to her defense.

"SHE WILL BE RANSOMED. IT IS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE PLAN."

"Right, yes, but _all_ of them will be ransomed. The Doctor will be less inclined to listen to reason if we kill some. Keep them alive."

The TARDIS exhaled deeply as she stepped forwards. "Thanks. Not sure why I'm thanking you, but thanks."

"Or course, if they show any sign of rebellion, kill them."

"And this is why I'm hesitant to thank you. Koschei, I keep expecting you to go all nice-save-our-lives like you generally do towards the end of our little escapades, but you keep disappointing me."

"My name is the Master. And I generally start acting sane before I die, and I don't intend to die any time soon."

"Hey." The TARDIS tilted her head and looked at him with false concern. "Admitting you have a problem is the first step to getting help. You're not too gone, you know."

"I'd watch my mouth if I were you. I did save your life, you know."

"Yeah, still bleeding to death. Thanks for that."

Rose stepped forwards. "Right. I'm just gonna assume y'all know each other, in which case, can you get your little dalek friends to leave now? I'd be a lot more comfortable with this whole 'ransom' scenario if there wasn't the threat of my impending extermination."

"EXTERMINATE!"

"Wait!" the Master started, "Don't exterminate her yet. She _is_ the Doctor's favorite, after all."

"Even the evil phsyco agrees." Rose whispered to the TARDIS.

-Meanwhile-

Jack and the Doctor materialized in a long hallway. "Doctor. I thought you said you had the not-TARDIS's coordinates, not the coordinates of- wherever the hell this is."

"Sorry. Few meters off. You're one to talk, by the way."

"How exactly do you know it's only a few meters? We could be in an entirely different galaxy, a few centuries off."

"No, she's close. I can feel it."

The proceeded down the corridor, untill they noticed a large balcony-like window on their left. They walked up to the ledge.

"What the hell…"

"That's impossible."

"Is that a hologram, or-"

"No. That is physically impossible. Not, not happening!"

Jack and the Doctor stared down at what appeared to be a dark orange planet, concealed in a black bubble-like structure. In the midst of fire and debris there lay a large city, the people of which Jack couldn't make out clearly. The entire planet was enclosed in a large, black, outer-sphere that upon close inspection was made entirely from a foreign metal, covered in small roundels. What Jack could see of the opposing side of the metal monstrosity held a simulated sky. Impossible to deter from anything organic. "Doctor, is this what I think it is?"

"Depends. If you think it's Time-War era Gallifrey, then yes."

"Right. Just acting under the assumption that this is a bad thing…"

"Definitely. Bad as it gets. Not to mention the fact that the entire planet is trapped in- this… thing…"

"I assume this was built by the daleks?"

"I don't know. I fought in the time war, and never saw anything like this. Saw the planet from above towards the end of the war, and there was no death star-like structure built around it."

"Death star-like? Really, is that the best adjective you could think of?"

"Jack, really? You really think _now_ is the time?"

"Fair point. The daleks built a 'death star' around Gallifrey."

-Meanwhile-

After the daleks left the room, Rose felt much more at ease. Sure, they were probably outside somewhere, and sure, there was still a madman in the room, but hey: the daleks weren't attacking at the moment, Rose trusted the TARDIS wouldn't let anything happen to them, and he was out numbered.

"Hey aren't you that Saxon bloke? Ran for prime minister a few years ago?" Rose stepped forward cautiously.

"Well, actually, I became prime minister. Then killed President Winters. Then did a lot of other stuff, but the Doctor erased time. Still, prime minister kills the president, you had to have heard of it?"

"Sorry, haven't been around a lot lately."

The TARDIS cut in, "Yeah, in a parallel world you will never just STAY in!"

Sarah Jane spoke up, "Can we get back to the point now? I mean, if you're going to ransom us, ransom us. If not, can you leave us alone?"

"No, I was rather enjoying our lovely chat. Which was obviously sarcasm. Right. To the ransoming."

The Master stepped to the east wall of the small room, and placed his hand on it. I formerly-unnoticeable scanner scanned his hand. A large portion of the wall slid forwards with a hiss, then flipped to reveal a screen. The TARDIS scoffed. "Well, that's advanced technology… for a twenty-first century human."

The master shot her a look. "I don't think you're in any position to argue." He turned to the small keyboard that had revealed itself with the screen, "contacting Mr. Smith."

Sarah Jane stepped forwards indignantly, "Hey, where'd you get my access codes?"

"Quite simple, since the Doctor used my tech to contact you. I figure he hasn't moved yet. And… there!"

The Master stood back from the keyboard and watched the screen intently. All he could see was an empty attic, with three teenagers silently studying in the corner.

"Mum!" Luke ran up, followed by Clyde and Rani.

"Luke, get out of the attic!" Sarah Jane pleaded, but could only watch as the teen rapidly pushed and pulled levers on Mister Smith, till the screen went black.

-Meanwhile-

The Doctor ran further down the hall to a small console, with a touch-screen based computer access point at the top. He rapidly typed, and began reading his findings aloud.

"D.P.W.S." he read, "Dalek Planetary War Sphere. Constructed two hundred years ago, in a time-lock around Gallifrye's atmosphere… In universal time, construction lasted one second…. Simulate sky, sunlight, heat… Two years before the time war. Right, right, daleks and timelords are back. Should've known he'd break the time lock. So, that means we've got the time lords, the daleks, most likely the silence everyone's been talking about, and… essentially the entire universe at war. And a younger me running around out there somewhere. Well, that's just _fantastic._" The Doctor ran his hands through his hair and sighed.

-Meanwhile-

Jack stared out at Gallifrey. It was shockingly beautiful, even when ravaged by war. Jack was about to say something nostalgic, but his phone rang. You see, this is why you keep a phone that's been soniced to death. Free wifi, even in the middle of the time war.

"Ah- hello?"

_This Jack Harkness?_

"Um, yes." Jack thought he recognized the young voice from somewhere, "Where'd you get this number? Is it just posted on a bulletin board somewhere, you know, 'call here for immortal ex-conman with secret agency?'"

_No, no, it was fairly easy to get your contact information from the subwave network._

"Oh, you're Sarah Jane's kid; the genius."

_Yeah. Got home and Mum's missing, Mister Smith's going nuts until he shows Mum, the TARDIS, and some blond, you and the Doctor disappeared so I called you to see where the two of you went, and if you knew anything about Mum and the TARDIS._

"Right, okay. We're finding Sarah Jane, we think she's been kidnapped by the TARDIS. She's not really the TARDIS by the way, she's an evil, immortal idiot that seems a lot like a TARDIS. Not sure why."

_Um… Well, good luck, I guess. Call this number, my friends and I could try to get back the connection from earlier if you want._

"Um, alright. But don't try to reconnect now, it's probably not the best plan. Oh, Doctor's calling, gotta go."

Jack hung up, then ran over to where the Doctor was standing. The Doctor looked at the phone for a minute, then relayed his findings to Jack. "Right. Last time I saw the Master, yes he came back after the year that never was, and yes, he killed me. No, you don't want to know. Anyways, last time I saw him he was getting trapped back on time-locked Gallifrey, mid-time war. So I assume the next logical step for him was to break the time lock, no idea how he did it, and find me for revenge or something. Of course, breaking the time lock starts the time war all over again, which is why we're right in the middle of it."

Jack nodded as the Doctor continued. "The daleks created another time lock, no idea how they did it without timelord tech, which they then used to create this death star thing in under a minute. Nobody realized it was there, because it was just the beginning of the time war. Nobody expected anything of this mass. Anyways, the Master, the not-TARDIS, and pretty much every alien that ever tried to kill us is just waiting to attack Gallifrey. Probably already did, by the looks of it. Anyways, all those aliens are probably going to track us down soon, no idea how they haven't yet. So, obviously, we take the next logical course of action."

"Which is?"

"Well, think about it Jack. We're right above Gallifrey. Lots of timelords and timeladys down there, still alive. And I'm a timelord."

Jack stared at the Doctor quizzically.

"It never occurred to you that I might have friends? Family? Come on, I may be a renegade, but I still know people of my own species! So, now we find some. I say we track down an old friend of mine."

"Right, and who would that be?"

"Romanadvoratrelundar, war queen, mistress of the nine Gallifreys."

"You weren't kidding when you said you had friends in high places."

**Well, this is starting to sound more like the prequel: lame jokes, sarcasm, too much information released at once, longer chapters, and cliff hangers. Yay.**

**So, I had this idea for a meme, and I figured I'd start it in the reviews. All you have to do is grab the nearest book to you, turn to the fifty-second page, and quote the fifth sentence on the page. Put the quote at the top of the page without saying the book's title, and I'll give you a cookie. Virtual, but still a cookie.**

**Here's my quote:**

_**"I call not upon a few, but upon all: not on **_**this**___**state or **_**that**___**state, but on **__**every**__** state; up and help us; lay your shoulders to the wheel; better have too much force than too little, when so great an object is at stake."**_


	6. Chapter 6

**Happy Cinco de Mayo, or happy Hanko de Mayo (if you're a nerdfighter.) Why can't Doctor Who be on every day? :(**

Jack and the Doctor re-appeared in a long, black corridor. The Doctor stepped to a panel on the wall, and placed his palm on it. The air in front of him lit up, to reveal a large, holographic touchscreen. Jack watched as the intricate circular designs changed rapidly, the Doctor's hands flying over the screen. "Right." The Doctor thought aloud. "I have to look her up first…"

Images filled the screen, of three separate women. The first had a very stern, no-nonsense expression, dark hair, and highly arched eyebrows. The next looked similar to a human school girl, and a blinding smile. The final was dark haired with a tired expression. This woman had seen a lot. "Three regenerations." Jack voiced aloud.

"Yes. Here, I'll convert it into English for you." The Doctor raised the sonic screwdriver to the screen, and it flashed into English.

Jack scanned the text, snippets of information catching his eye. _Incredible test scores… Very bright… Traveled with the renegade timelord known as the Doctor… E-space… Was president of Gallifrey... Presidency ended during time war… (CENSORED) (ACCESS DENIED)_

"Doctor?"

"Yes, yes, working on it…"

The Doctor's hands flew over the screen, but the text never changed. "Huh. Maybe if I look her up after scanning in…"

The Doctor scanned his hand again, and information filled the screen, along with eleven pictures. _Theta Sigma… Codename: The Doctor… Low Scores, incredibly intelligent… Trouble maker… Renegade… Terraphile…_

The Doctor re-opened the page on Romana. The last paragraphs were still blocked. "Okay, I'll find contact information." The Doctor pulled up a separate page, all blank. "That's odd…"

"Well." Jack tried to lighten the mood. "At least we're not under the constant threat of daleks."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Yeah, just timelords who don't particularly like me. At least we have our secret weapon."

"What's the secret weapon?"

"You. Any Gallifreyan within a mile or so of you would collapse in pain. And vertigo. Don't forget the vertigo."

"Hate to point out the flaws in your little plan, but you're not exactly collapsing at the moment."

"Got used to you after a while. Didn't have a choice. Adapt or avoid you for the rest of my life. Well, technically that is a choice, but more of a rhetorical one."

-Meanwhile-

The TARDIS laughed. "That Luke, he's a clever one."

The Master starred at the screen as it reclosed. "Well, that obviously didn't work. Well…" the grabbed the TARDIS's arm. She looked at him in the eyes with disgust. "I guess I'll have to find him myself. And _you_ will help me." The TARDIS whimpered as the Master grabbed her injured side forcibly. "A Timelord and his human companion."

The TARDIS lowered her leg. "I. Am. _Nobody's. _Companion." She ripped her arm away indignantly.

The Master shrugged, and took Sarah Jane's arm instead. "Okay. I'm flexible."

The Master left with Sarah Jane before the TARDIS or Rose could do anything. The TARDIS slumped down the wall in shock, pain, and exhaustion. Rose follow, leaning against the wall across from her.

"Well." The blond was the first to break the awkward silence. "What's your plan?"

The TARDIS glared up at her. "Now. Of all times, and you expect me to have a plan."

"Well, you are known to-"

The TARDIS cut her off. "You really expect me to think of a plan. Now."

"Alright." Rose stood up. "I'll think of a plan, and you try not to die of blood loss. Kay?"

The TARDIS scoffed. "This'll be interesting."

Rose put her hand on the wall, in the exact same place the Master had. Nothing happened. "Right. Probably doesn't recognize me seeing as I'm human. You try."

The TARDIS stood and put her hand by the panel. She stepped back. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why?"

"Just-"

"Oh, so you have a better idea?"

"Actually-"

"What, you're going to just TARDIS off?"

"No, not enough room. Since when is TARDIS a ver-"

"Oh, see, you _don't_ have a plan."

"Well-"

"Oh, so you DO have a plan? Why didn't you say so-" the TARDIS dangled Jack's vortex manipulator in front of Rose. "Oh. That's your plan."

"Yep. We can get anywhere in the universe, if only we knew where to go."

"Right. Right. I vote towards the Doctor. Just saying. Can't you find him with your whole mind-linky thing?"

"Yeah. The Doctor. He's close. Surprisingly close, actually. But not right. Something's different…"

The door slid open, to reveal a tall man with shoulder-length burnet hair and Edwardian clothes. "M'I interrupting something?"

Rose assumed her now-typical confused look, and the TARDIS's grin spread. The man stepped forwards, confused.

Rose, seeing the TARDIS was in no hurry to speak, stepped forwards. "Hi. I'm Rose. She's a TARDIS. Long story."

The Man stepped into the small cell. "Compassion? Is that you? What happened to your side?..."

The TARDIS burst into laughter. "No. I'm your TARDIS, moron. Rose, meet the eighth Doctor."

**And THAT is why the Doctor brought Rose along. He felt obligated, seeing as the TARDIS introduced him, and figured he had to invite her to make everything work out. That, my friends, is a paradox. Shame on you, TARDIS. Without you, Rose would never have existed in the whoniverse. Well done, *slow claps*, well done. McGann was cheated out of a lot. He's still one of my favorites, though.**


	7. Chapter 7

Jack watched as the holographic touch screen shut down, then the lights at the far end of the corridor. The next light flickered, and went out as well. The third light began to flicker.

"Doct-" Jack was cut off as the corridor went black.

A small flash light flicked on at the other end of the corridor, illuminating a triangular strip of the floor. A male voice called out. "Are you the one known as the Doctor." He phrased it like a question, but voiced it a statement.

"Yeah." The Doctor raised the sonic out of his pocket. The room was plunged into light. "I'm him."

The flash light flicked off, as Jack saw the owner's face. He looked to be around twenty-five, but Jack knew that was probably not the case. He was dressed in entirely in casual earth clothing, which was odd. Especially considering this was time-war era Gallifrey. "Doctor. I assume your friend there is… Well, you know…"

"Yes. He is. I assume we're supposed to come with you now?"

"Come on." The man walked away from Jack and the Doctor, down the opposite end of the corridor. The Doctor followed automatically. Jack hesitated, then went in after the Doctor.

"So." The Doctor started as they walked, "What's your name?"

"Alexerdathan."

"Right. Alex." The Doctor started walking backwards, facing Jack and the young timelord. "My friend here- he's kind of, well, immortal. You're obviously a timelord, but you're not freaking out. I don't get it."

The young Gallifreyan laughed. "Same as you."

"Explain."

"Think, Doctor. Remember. When you left Gallifrey, what happened?"

"I ran away. I found my way to the TARDIS graveyard, stole a TARDIS, and kept on running."

"Why?"

"I don't- I didn't-"

"Think. What happened when you ran away?"

"I don't remember. I just- was running. I knew I had to escape."

"Oh, you escaped alright. But what from?"

"I-" the Doctor's face fell. "How much?"

"Three hundred years. You were the first to escape. So they stole your memories. Let you escape, with blissful ignorance. But the skills, the mindset-" Alex sighed. "Those couldn't be erased with the memories."

The Doctor rubbed his eyes, trying to comprehend what Alex had just told him. "Escaped from wh-"

Jack cut him off. "Doctor, why here. You knew to come here. Why _here_, exactly?"

"It's just an old abandoned building. I think it used to be a hospital or something. Not too far from the main dome, but completely empty. I used to come here as a child."

The Doctor walked backwards, straight into a wall.

Alex laughed. "Smooth." The wall slid back, to reveal a small room. The trio stepped in, and began descending. "Your friends, did they ever see this place?"

"No. I told them to meet me here, but nobody ever came."

Alex faced the wall they had entered from as it re-sealed. "Of course they didn't. Only people like us see this place. It's the first filter, finding the true candidates. If you make it this far in here, you get lured down. We're the same, Doctor. We both found the facility, and the facility it hides. We both trained. The only difference is you escaped. The rouge. The first. She found you, she chose you. I was left down here to die."

-Meanwhile-

The TARDIS starred at the Doctor, a grin plastered to her face.

"You're _my_ TARDIS?"

She nodded.

"And you're humanoid?"

She nodded once again.

"Do I really want to know?"

The TARDIS laughed. "I don't think so."

"What regeneration am I on at your time?"

"Eleventh. Why?"

"So I can remember to go jump off a cliff or something when I'm him. Where on Gallifrey is he, and why did he not do anything about the fact that you're bleeding to death?"

"I don't know where he is. Blondie here and I were kidnapped. I got shot, long story. I don't blame him, though." The TARDIS shrugged, then winced at the pain a simple motion could cause her.

"Well, come on, you need-" the Doctor began to gesture to his TARDIS, still a police box.

"We shouldn't. Dealing with a paradox the size of Belgium is not on my to-do list."

The Doctor put his hand over the (humanoid) TARDIS's side. She winced at the sting, then relaxed against his ice-cold fingers. No matter what point in his timeline, the Doctor could always make her feel safe. He was her Timelord, her best friend, HER Doctor. Nothing could hurt her when she was with him. The TARDIS met the timelord's cerulean gaze. "At least let me heal you," he begged. She nodded, as the Doctor ran into the police box.

"So." Rose began, "Exactly how far into his past is he?"

"That's the eighth. You met the ninth, who regenerated into the tenth."

"But you said you were with the eleventh?"

"New Year's Eve, 2005?"

"That-" Two human eyes filled with horror.

"Yeah." The TARDIS sighed, and gazed up at the ceiling. "I may not have agreed with him as far as you're concerned," she looked at Rose. "But I couldn't deny him that."

"Was he alright?"

"Yeah, he was okay in the end." the TARDIS looked at Rose, her eyes filled with hatred. "He was afraid. Afraid he'd find you, but you wouldn't recognize him. I was so scared-" her voice broke. "I thought he might- I thought he was going to die. I thought he was going to stay with you- and I wouldn't be there for him. He couldn't regenerate on earth. It would kill him."

"He chose you." Rose tried to force comfort into her voice. "He chose you over me."

The eighth Doctor reappeared, and rubbed green sludge that smelled suspiciously like cilantro into the TARDIS's side. Rose watched as the wound sealed up, leaving a small scar in its place. The Doctor looked up at the TARDIS. "I suppose you'll have to be getting back to eleven now."

The TARDIS smiled sadly. "Yeah." She put a hand on the Doctor's shoulder to stop him from walking away. "I don't know why you're here, but I assume you were on your way to Gallifrey below."

The Doctor nodded.

"Today- You're about to do something horrible. Something that will change your life, and the universe, forever. And once you do, there will be now going back. And I'm going to help you." The TARDIS reached into her pocket and pulled out what looked like a miniscule silver gear. She pressed it into the Doctor's hand, but didn't let go.

"Is this what I think it is?"

"If you don't the universe will be destroyed."

"I can't. Find someone else."

"Doctor. It needs to be you. _I _need it to be you. You're the only one that can."

"IT IS THE DOCTOR. EXTERMINATE." The Doctor looked down the corridor in a panic.

"Doctor, you have to do this. Now, go! We'll be fine, you have to get out of here!"

The Doctor took the object, and ran to the police box. "I'm sorry!" he called back, as the TARDIS automatically dematerialized, obeying her future self.

"Don't be." She whispered.

"EXTERMINATE!"

**Yay I get to kill Rose soon. I almost forgot about that. Sorry McGann!Doctor had to leave so soon, but let's face it, he couldn't work in this fic for much longer. Besides, I can't write for him to save my life. Don't worry, he will be back soon. Oh, and the boys will be meeting Romana very soon…**


	8. Chapter 8

**Fun Fact- ** is the fear of long words. Pretty ironic, huh? It's actually a word. Look it up!****

The Doctor, Alex, and Jack stepped off the elevator into a vast, white chamber. There were many glass cubicles, filled with varying equipment. Glass suction tubes ran across the ceiling, transporting objects throughout the facility. Jack was the first to step forwards, despite the Doctor's attempts to hold him back. "What's the worst that could happen, someone comes out and kills me?" Jack rolled his eyes.

"Oh, fates much worse than death have taken place here." Alex stepped forwards and flipped his flashlight back on, pushing away some of the darkness.

The Doctor stepped out hesitantly, clenching his eyes shut against the memories that flooded his mind. "Alex. Explain. Now."

Alex slowly inhaled, and looked away.

"Alex." Jack raised an eyebrow at the young timelord, prompting him to respond.

The Doctor grabbed Alex's shoulder. "Alex, I assume you know who I am. And, most likely, more about me than I do at the moment. So, you undoubtedly know that you do _not_ want to make me angry."

Jack looked up at the Doctor. "Right. I'll start from the beginning."

Alex walked over to one of the many computer screens, and pulled up a file. "This- is the Institute. It was originally built to test the concept of transforming a Timelady into a TARDIS."

"Um, hasn't that been done before? Does the name 'Compassion' mean anything to you?"

Alex laughed, "She was the- inspiration for the project. The Institute's purpose was to create a _literal_ TARDIS. A TARDIS that could function and appear like a proper TARDIS, but transform into a Timelady at will."

"But- come on, full transformation, that's got to be painful!" Jack spun the monitor towards him.

Alex pulled the screen back forcefully. "I was _getting_ to that. Your TARDIS was the first test subject, the guniea pig. Look."

Pictures filled the screen of a Gallifreyan woman, one who bared uncanny resemblance to the human TARDIS. Her tired eyes were chocolate brown, and her long hair tied up in a tight bun. The pictures were arranged like a mug shot, and in one the Doctor could even make out restraints around her wrists.

"What did you do to her…"

But Alex wasn't finished. A video clip filled the screen, of the same woman in a tight cell-like room. Green light flooded in from above, and the woman fell to her knees, clutching her head. The Doctor shut his eyes, but couldn't escape the horrifying screams. The light stopped, and the now-TARDIS stood on shaky legs. She looked up, and the Doctor could see her eyes now reflected the time vortex. Her eyes filled with fear and rage, and her fist flew at unearthly speed towards the camera. The footage cut out. Alex shut down the computer. He turned to face the two defenders of earth, a look of shame on his face. "She escaped. She ran. We never knew what it would do to her, how she'd react. We never saw her again, until you showed up. After her, the Institute began experimenting with humane, painless methods of transformation. These new TARDISes were perfected, happy to cooperate when I was lured down here."

"What happened to you?" Jack didn't let his rage-filled glare falter for a moment. Even though he doubted the TARDIS's intentions, nobody should have to endure that. "What happens to the timelords you drag down here?"

"Our ability to make it to the Institute is a sign of our intelligence, and superior time senses. Those of us who make it down here generally don't have many friends on the surface, either. Nobody to miss them. We were trained, and paired with a TARDIS, prepared to fight the time war. All of the Institute's experiments were created with one express goal: end the time war."

The Doctor laughed. "They obviously didn't succeed. What happened to this place?"

Alex looked around sadly at what used to be his home. "It was destroyed in the Timewar, by accident. My TARDIS saved me, at the last minute. We watched, together, as the Institute burned."

"Your-"

Jack was cut off as a Timelady ran into the room in a flash of white light. "Alex! Thank Rassilon I found you, it's hell up there. Daleks are swarming the dome and- oh. Hi. Who're the guests?"

"That would be her. My TARDIS." Alex gestured to the Timelady who began walking towards them. She, like Alex, was clad in casual human attire. A red baseball cap sat on her blond head.

She extended a hand. "Hello!" she spoke in an American accent. "I'm Alex's TARDIS, as he said earlier. But you can call me by my previous name, which I'll shorten to Abby for our purposes."

Jack shook her hand enthusiastically, and she grinned. "_That's_ enough." Alex cut in. Abby stepped back and rolled her eyes.

The Doctor was quick to cut back to the previous conversation. "I still don't understand. What happened to me?"

Alex winced. "You were one of the best. Scratch that, _the_ best. Especially at controlling your time sense against people like him." Alex gestured to Jack. "But you stumbled on some of the old testing footage. You were horrified, and you ran. You even escaped the institute. None of us had ever made it that far. The leaders here, they were able to hit you with something before you escaped. They knew they could never catch you, so they erased your memories of this place, to keep their secret. They never thought you'd survive the trip back, with their extensive security measures."

"So what happened to me?"

"She found you, and saved you. The first test subject. She chose you as her timelord, and ran away from Gallifrey.'

-Meanwhile-

The TARDIS and Rose spun around to face the daleks. Suddenly, a man stepped between them and the metal monstrosities. "Stop." He said. The daleks looked up at him questioningly. "I'm with the Institute."

"PROCEDE." The daleks continued down the hallway, leaving the three alone.

The timelord, clad in a white coat, turned to the two women. "Right. You two are coming with me." The man pulled a Gallifreyan, higher-tech version of what looked like a vortex manipulator.

The trio reappeared in a small white cell. The TARDIS looked around in horror. This couldn't be happening. She couldn't be here again, after all she did to escape. Not the Institute. Not now. She hid her look of horror with a bored remark. "Not another cell, I've gotten tired of this."

Rose eyed the cell cynically. "At least you're not bleeding to death."

"True."

"Hate to spoil your fun, but we have work to do. Tests to run. Especially. On. _You._" He tapped the TARDIS on the nose, grinning evilly. "You, however." He looked at Rose degradingly. "Well, I've always wanted to see what happens when a human is turned into a TARDIS."

Rose smiled. _Maybe the Doctor'll prefer me now, once I'm just as good as his precious TARDIS._ She walked eagerly towards the cell with the mysterious scientist.

The TARDIS watched in horror as Rose approached the same cell she'd been tortured in so many years ago. "No!" she screamed. "You're just a human! Your system can't take that kind of stress!"

The timelord smiled to himself. Rose Tyler was disintegrated with a look of smug pride on her face. Another death in the name of science.

The TARDIS pressed herself against the glass separating the two of them. "That was murder." She snarled.

"Nope!" he corrected. "_That_ was technology."

-Meanwhile-

The Doctor stared at Abby and Alex disapprovingly. "Alright, one more question. Who was she?"

"What?"

"Who was she, my TARDIS?" the Doctor asked, more concerned for the proud, chocolate-eyed woman she was than the adventurous TARDIS she became.

"Right." Abby pulled the monitor towards herself. "I'll look it up now." Her fingers flew across the keys. "It says here: 'Subject gave no personal information other than the nickname Romana.' Does that mean anything to you?"

"No, it doesn't mean anything." A newfound hatred for the institute spread across the Doctor's face. "It means _everything_."

**Yay! I updated a day later, gave you backstory, killed Rose, AND feature Romana all in the chapter, as promised. Not to mention, it's been under 24 hours since the last update. WHO DA- no, never mind. Please, anybody reading this, review! I know you just want to read it, leave it, and check for updates later, that's what I do all the time! But I'm enforcing a review-everything-you-read rule for myself, and I hope you do the same. Reviews are extremely helpful in the writing process, and they make everybody smile. :)**


	9. Chapter 9

The TARDIS stared at the man, and swallowed. "So, what exactly do you plan to do to me?" she clenched her teeth to stop herself from quivering in fear. "I'm already a TARDIS, a Timelady, and a living TARDIS, all at once. I'm already clever, fast, strong, and able to manipulate huon energy. What else can you do to me?"

The Institute scientist man smiled cruelly. "Oh, I'm sure we'll think of something." He stepped into the glass cell. "After all, you _are_ our favorite test subject. It'd be a shame to waste all your-" he pulled the TARDIS's chin up so she was facing him, "-potential."

The TARDIS slammed hard to her right, knocking the man against the glass wall. She held her right arm against his neck, choking him. "Oh, so I'm just a test subject now, huh? Who am I? Did you ever factor _that_ into your 'calculations?'"

The man pushed her arm off his air pipe, and fell to the floor. The TARDIS leered back, but proceeded to kick him repeatedly. "Who. Am. Am I human? Am I a Timelady? Am I a living TARDIS? What am I? And why-" she crouched down to face him, "can I not remember my life before the Doctor?"

The man's cruel-and-evil-freak-who's-in-it-for-the-science demeanor failed, and he looked up at his creation with the face of a teenage genius who got dragged into the Institute against his will. "I would tell you, but that's classified."

The TARDIS heaved him up by his throat, and held him against the glass wall. "Who am I?"

The man choked and stuttered. "R-romana."

The TARDIS dropped him and turned away, focusing at the other side of the cell. She rubbed her temples as the memories flooded back. So _this_ was why she felt the irresistible urge to save the Doctor- her Doctor. She was so overwhelmed with this new information that she didn't notice the man standing behind her. He lunged forwards while he had the upper hand, and pressed her face into the wall.

The TARDIS gasped and struggled, but couldn't seem to locate the attacker behind her. Her arms flailed wildly, as her brain grew numb from lack of oxygen. Her vision blurred. "Who… who are you?" she muttered.

"Theta Sigma." He laughed as she grew limp.

"No…"

-Meanwhile-

The Doctor stormed through the Institute, looking for any sign of where to find his TARDIS. Romana. _His_ Romana. He didn't notice Abby walking up behind him. "I can get you your memories back."

"What?"

"Well, I did work here for a while. I programmed their mind-wiping equipment. I know the glitches, the loop-holes."

The Doctor turned to her. "Show me."

Abby shifted her feet awkwardly. "Well, I found that certain images- certain objects can trigger memories. A name, a face, a favorite pen, anything could work."

The Doctor looked at her. "Anything you had in mind?"

Alex walked over with Jack, and after a quick look at Abby understood what was going on. "The files say there was a 'Theta Sigma' working in experimentation. I've even got an office number, if you'd care to come upstairs."

The Doctor walked up the spiraling stairs, with Jack at his heels. He automatically recognized the place, the glass cubicles outlined by offices, the cells…

The Doctor fell to his knees as the memories overwhelmed him. He didn't notice Jack worriedly shaking his shoulders. "No." he whispered. "No. No!"

The Doctor stood up facing Jack, a look of sheer horror pasted over his face.

Jack looked at him calculatingly. "What was it? What did you remember?"

The Doctor slammed his fist into the wall repeatedly. "I- I- I remembered everything. I was psychotic, twisted, no better than the Master! I killed Rose, I nearly killed the TARDIS, I-" a look of realization spread across his face as he took Jack's vortex manipulator. "I know where to find the Romana."

-Meanwhile-

The TARDIS slumped against the wall as her vision went black. No one else at the Institute would save her; this was common there. Sarah Jane was off who-knows-where with the Master. Rose was dead. Jack was probably back at Torchwood by now. Her Doctor wasn't coming for her; he was holding her down by the throat, laughing maniacally. Nobody was going to save her this time.

Light flashed behind her, and the pressure immediately released from her throat. The TARDIS gasped frantically, as her Doctor held her to his chest. Her Doctor, her tweed-clad timelord. The last thing she knew as the faded to the future was her Doctor looking up at his past self with pure hatred.

The TARDIS fell into one of the chairs in the time-war-era Institute, her head falling into her knees. The Doctor rubbed her back with his knuckles as she recovered. "Well." She panted, "I can scratch being attacked and saved by the same guy at the same time off my to-do list."

Jack laughed awkwardly. "So, what all's been going on for you and Sarah Jane? And who are you, anyways? And, why the hell are you immortal?"

"I should start from the beginning shouldn't I?"

"Yup." The four chorused.

"Well, I'm not immortal. You're not the only one who can survive being shot a few times."

Jack nodded, as if this answer suited him. "Continue."

"I don't know." She looked up at the Doctor. "I could tell you Romana's memories, sure, but they're not mine."

The Doctor tried to hide his disappointment. "Of course they are. You _are_ Romana."

The TARDIS stared at him. "No, I'm not. I might once have been, but I'm not now. Romana's memories made up who she was. I have my own memories, starting and ending at you, and they're what shaped my personality. Not traveling with you, outsmarting everyone who crosses my path like her."

The TARDIS stood up and made her way to the exit, but the Doctor stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "Please." He begged. "Try for me. My Romana."

The TARDIS shrugged off his hand. "No. I'm not your Romana, I'm not your TARDIS either. I'm a completely separate person. My personality isn't completely affected by running around with you, like hers. I started here, in fire and pain, and that shapes who I am. I'm perfectly capable of surviving without a timelord. I'm more like Compassion then Romana, if you ask me. Which, of course, you didn't. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a war to fight."

She turned to leave, but was interrupted by the Doctor's laughter. "You're really not, you know."

"Not what?"

"Doubt it or not, there's still a LOT of Romana in there. 'Your own person.' Now, you look, TARDIS. You just look through all those conflicting memories in that insane head of yours, and you tell me you're not still Romana, deep down. Then, you just _try_ to walk out that door."

**That was fun to write. The whole younger-evil-Doctor-kills-Rose-and-TARDIS was originally my plan, then I decided against it and went with creepy-unnamed-Institute-guy as shown in last chapter, then I saw an opening, so I took it. Funny how stuff works out like that. I mean, Romana!TARDIS was never my intention, until writing the TARDIS POV's. Come to think of it, a LOT of the good stuff in this was never intentionally put in.**

**Also, three songs have influenced this, a lot. Please, please, PLEASE, check them out. **

**Starlight by Muse**

**Resistance by Muse**

**Playing God by Paramore**


	10. Chapter 10

"**WARNING: SUM OF DIS CHAPTA IS XTREMLY SCRAY. VIOWER EXCRETION ADVISD."**

**I think I'm going to put that at the beginning of every chapter. I'm serious. I find it hilariously stupid. For those of you who don't know where that's from, just Google it if you have a few hours to kill and don't mind barfing to death. Oh, and my review of last night's episode will be in the bottom A/N. "the Doctor: It's the TARDIS! And she's a WOMAN! Amy: Did you wish **_**really**_** hard?" lol**

The TARDIS spun, and stared at the Doctor with no visible emotion. "All right," she said, "I'll help you. I assume you want to know what's been going on with me?"

"The fast version. And no skipping details."

"The detailed fast version. Oxymoron aside, Sarah Jane and I were teleported into a holding cell where we met Rose, who I proceeded to- err- _talked_ to. Daleks came in and tried to exterminate us, but they were stopped by the Master who said he wanted to 'randsom' us, because he wanted you for something. Not sure what. He called Mister Smith in search of you, but only found Luke, and those other humans."

"That explains a lot." Jack said. "Sorry. Continue."

"The Master left to find you, taking Sarah Jane with him. Rose and I continued our _conversation_, then escaped with the help of Doctor eight-point-oh. He left to avoid paradoxes, then Rose and I were captured by past-you, who proceeded to-"

"You can stop now. I was there."

"Yeah. So was I."

"Right!" the Doctor clasped his hands together. "Let's go find Sarah Jane."

-Meanwhile-

The eighth Doctor ran through the corridors of Gallifrey, clutching the small gear his TARDIS had given him.

He knew he couldn't do this. He simply couldn't. If he destroyed Gallifrey, then who was he? He could not; would not let himself do this. But he knew he had to. The TARDIS trusted him. She knew there was no other choice. The Doctor himself knew there was no other choice.

But he couldn't. He could hear daleks closing in on him from behind. If he let them catch him, if they took the key, then the war would go on forever. There would be no stopping them.

The Doctor ran harder, pumping his arms and refusing to look back at the face of death.

"EXTERMINATE!"

The Doctor shut his eyes as a hand grabbed his arm and pulled him to the side. He opened them to see a blond, psychotic timelord.

"Doctor."

"Master?"

"Hello, old friend." The Master smiled. "Give me the key. I'll take it from here."

The Doctor looked back at the daleks, who were nearly in range of extermination, then back at the Master. "Why should I trust you?"

"Because you trust me in the future. Your future, my past."

"Oh, I have a future. That's good."

"Doctor. Now, just give me the key. I know you don't want to do this."

The Doctor looked up at the Master, calculating. He looked back at the ever-approaching daleks, then thrust the key into the Master's hand, deciding that a better fate then extermination.

The Master smiled cruelly. "Thank you."

He pushed the Doctor back out into the corridor, and tapped the vortex manipulator on his wrist. The Doctor stared at the spot the Master had just vanished from him. He had sensed deception, sure, but this- this was all out betrayal. The Doctor turned to the daleks.

"EXTERMINATE."

**I LOVED last night's episode. I was skyping my friend while watching it, and brainstorming the TARDIS POV(s), and I can literally recall saying to her "Is this really happening, or am I on some crazy drugs?..."**

**Just… Wow. I suspected Romana, but this went above and beyond. More realwho human!TARDIS, please? :P The plot was kind of- odd, to say the least; but the TARDIS, especially her interactions with the Doctor… that's just above and beyond. I mean, this'll be hard to work into the plot of this and the TARDIS POV's, but it's well worth it. Neil Gaiman, can I hug you now?**

**Sorry 'bout the short chapter. Couldn't see how to continue it from there, without going over-board length-wise.**


	11. Chapter 11

The Doctor half-jogged, half-walked through the Institute, grabbing random pieces of Timelord technology has he proceeded towards the exit. Jack flat-out ran to the elevator, the TARDIS close behind. Jack stepped in first, eager to reach the surface. The TARDIS stepped in after him, ready to take revenge for what had been done to her; to Romana.

The Doctor approached behind them, but stopped when he heard Alex call his name. "You two go on." He gestured to Jack and his TARDIS, "I'll meet you at the surface."

The Doctor turned back to Alex and Abby. "Doctor," Alex began, "You have to go now. But you have to know, Rose- none of that was your fault! You were brainwashed."

"I know. Now, if that's all, I'll be going now."

The Doctor turned to leave, but he was caught by Abby's voice. "Doctor?"

-Meanwhile-

Jack watched as the TARDIS not-as-subtly-as-she-thought squeezed away from him, in the far opposite side of the elevator. "What, is my immortality really that horrifying to you lot?"

The TARDIS laughed. "No it's just-" she dug around in one of the trench coat's many bottomless pockets until she dug out a vortex manipulator identical to Jack's, but older looking. It exploded in her hand, and she jumped forwards into Jack. "-that. Same object, different points in its own time zone. Explosion." She stepped away from Jack, but not as far.

"Wait- oh, great, you just blew up my vortex manipulator. Great. Just great."

"Hey! You still have it, that was just the future one."

They sank back into perpetual awkward silence.

"So, Romana, who are you?" Jack questioned.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean?"

"I remember being Romana, traveling with the Doctor, but it's almost like they aren't my memories. I look in the mirror and see Romana, but I search my memory and we're just not the same."

"I know what you mean. Coming back to life, it takes me a while to remember who I am. It's like I'm someone else, trying to piece together the identity of Jack Harkness. I don't remember why, but I see people and it sparks up emotion, which leads to memory."

"I see Alex, and something about Romana makes me hate him, but I as an individual want to trust him. Romana loved the Doctor, but I'm not sure how I feel. About any of this. I just don't know about any of this." The TARDIS looked up at Jack through tear-stained eyes.

"Hey," Jack took the TARDIS in his arms, "it'll get better. You'll see."

The TARDIS leaned against Jack, desperate for a friend. "Romana may detest you and your fixed-point-ness, but _I_ trust you, if only because I remember who you were before Bad Wolf."

"Great. You hate me, but you trust me. That's comforting." Jack laughed, as the elevator doors open. "I think this is our stop."

-Meanwhile-

The Doctor turned back, "huh?"

"Your TARDIS. You're lucky to have her." The Doctor saw a look of something he didn't recognize in the timelady's red-vortex eyes.

"I know."

"Seriously, though. She could've abandoned you for the Master at many times in her life. She didn't."

"I know. That git can get his own TARDIS."

"That's exactly what I'm saying. He needs a human TARDIS. My sister refuses to comply. I want to get out of this hell-hole. I think I'm going to take him up on his offer."

Alex turned slowly, "Wait, what? Hate to break it to you, but you're my TARDIS, bonded for life. You're stuck with me."

The Doctor watched as Abby smiled sadistically. "It's funny, how, a bond for life can be broken so easily."

"What do you-"

Abby smiled as she fired the staser, running off in a blaze of light.


End file.
